New Delhi, Jul 25: Congress leader K C Venugopal today asked the government order an inquiry into the "serious issue" of leak of data of almost two lakh students who had appeared for the NEET exam this year.

Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Venugopal said the NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) data leak was a "serious issue of theft of personal data that has compromised the privacy of candidates across the country".

According to reports, personal data including names, phone numbers and email addresses, of over 2,00,000 candidates who appeared for the examination this year were available for a price on some online portals, he said.

The NEET was held on May 6 in 136 cities and conducted in 11 languages. The results were announced on June 4.

The incident also raises questions about the ability of the Central Board of Secondary Education to ensure the sanctity of the examination process, the Congress MP said.

"I would strongly demand that the government order an inquiry into the matter and take action against the people behind this crime.

"I would also request the government to take proper measuers to protect the privacy of the citizens of our country by taking strong measures to curb the data theft," he noted.(PTI)